Improved ironing-machine



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. T. NICHOLS.

IRONING MACHINE.

PatentedApr. 22.11862.

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. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W.`T. NICHOLS. IRUVNING MACHINE.

No. 35,034. Patented Apr. 22, 1862.

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UNITED STATES PATENT (')FEICE- WILLIAM T. NAICHOLS, OF RUTLAND, VERMONT.

|MPR0'VED lRoNiNG-MACHINE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 35,034, dated April 22, 1862.

Figure l is a side elevation of my machine,"

Fig. 2, a cross-section thereof; Fig. Il, a plan view, and Fig. i a front elevation.

In the drawings, a indicates the frame, which may be four feet in length, two feetwide, and three feet high and constructed of any proper material by fastening the bottom ends and back together in afirm and substantial manner. The top of the machine is formed into an ironing-table, l), construct-'ed to slide back and forth on supports q, running in grooves c, as clearly shown in Fig. l. To the supliorts q, as shown in the figures, roll ers d, one inch in diameter, are fitted, and with a continuous.a-pron, j, of strong cloth, passing around them.

c is a balance-wheel, which for practical purposes may be twenty-seven inches in di.

ameter and of eighty pounds weight, worked by a treadle, as indicated at f j" f2, or by a belt which may be made to run around a cir# cular flange attached to the outer end of the pulley g.

d and di indicate solid turned iron rollers situated vupon the outside upper edge of the frame, andare suitably held in place by castiron bearings which are fastened to the frame. These rollers are caused to revolve about three-fourths of an inch apart, but at dil-ferent rates of speed, the upper roller, d', being driven by the hand 71 from the pulley g, and the lower roller, d2, being driven relatively at a high rate of speed by the band h from the wheel e. The said rollers d d2 are heated'by the fire-box H, which is provided with a firebed, z', and with air-passages v' 2, as shown.'

This tire-box is made with concave surfaces la Zz, to receive the rollers d' d2, as clearly represented in Fig. 2, and thus have heat imparted to them while they are in motion, said box being placed upon a sliding shelf, Z, so as to be adjust-ed at. the will of the operator in contact* with said rollers, or removed a distance from them, as the heat' necessary for Athem may require. A second continuous apromj, revolves from .the back to the front of the machine upon rollers d3 di, driven by ya band, h2, from roller 1v1', as represented in the figures.

The ironing-table, with its appendages, is held in. close proximity with the heated rollers d d'2 by means of a spring, n1, beneath a block, n, attached to the rear of the frame, from which cords p, fastened to the ends of `the spring, pass up and are secured to the rear end of the supports q of the ironingtable 1:,as shown in Figsl and Any other suitable means maybe adopted for holding the ironing-table vin such position.

In Figs. 3 and 4- I have clearly shown a device for rotating a atfiroin and which is so arranged as to be used upon the ironingtable b and heat-ed upon the tire-box ll. For this latter purpose it is sufficient -to simply raise the shaft from its socket r, and then so manipulate the frame which carries the fiat-iron as to allow of the iron being placed upon the top of the fire-box.

The device for operatingthe Iiatiron consists of an upright shaft, r, loosely stepped in bearing rr', and sustained by vbearing r2, through which it. passes, and through which it may be elevated, carrying with it its attachments, whenever it vbecomes necessary to pass the flat-iron from the table b to the top of the lire-box H. Uponthis shaft pulleys g and g2 are so secured that the shaft will rotate with them. These pulleys are so arranged as to embrace between them the lower lengthwise piece, u', of the fra-me designated by w, fw', we, and w3, the parts 102 and wS being connecting-uprights and securely fastened to the lengthwise pieces w and w'. Alike frame is indicated by w, w", w, and wl, so hinged as t-o articulate upon the journals o of a pulley, g3, the inner or iirstmamed frame being so arranged as to have its inner ends also articu late upon the journals o and its outer ends upon the shaft fr. T0 the outer end of one of these frames I attach a circular {iat-iron, Q, with a central rod, r2, rising from its top and passing through the ends 104 and w5 of the frame, between which ends apulley, g, is secured to the rod 122, so that when the pulley is 'rotated the {iat-iron will rotate also. Bands h3, h4, and 715 impart motion to the fiat-iron, as indicated, and the movements of the several parts, when the machine is inA operatiomareindicated by thelarrows in red.

The opel-alien is as follows: When the machine is in motion, them-ticle to be ironed is placed on the apron j of the table b. Itis then carried slowly by the apron between the roller .Cl and heated roller d at the back side of the table, thence between the heated roller d2 and loose roller d5, and thence down and upon the apron j, from which lit is delivered into the basket at the bottoni of the machine.

By this operation the article 'to be ironed is 'first subjected to the action of the-heated slow-speed roller d', which effects the first work of ironing, While by itsrotation being slower than the heater roller 'd2 the `rgarment is prevented from being t'oo rapidly delivered from oit the apron j. From contact with the heated roller d the garmentis next subjected to the action of` the rapidly-rotating heated roller d2, which by reason of its great speed performs theprincipal work of ironing,at the same time giving afine polish and delicate finish to the garment subjected to its action. It will be observed that intermediate betweenthe heated roller ci2 and the roller d6 a loose roller, d, resting simply upon the apron j, as shown, is

interposed, and that the diameterof the roller d5 is greater than that-of d". Thus the rollers sand Z5 being so relatively placed as to have their uppersurface on the same horizontal plane, and with the roller d pressing against the roller d5, the action of the latter upon the garment being ironed will be to cause a considerable frictional impact of the heated roller d? upon the garment belowthe axial line of 'the roller (Z2. In other words, the longitudinal which the dampen ed clothes are deposited preparatory to placing them upon' the ironing-table b, and as the clothes are ironed and-pass from between the rollers d2 and d5 they drop down between the sliding sh elves Z and Z onto the apron 'j, and thence are delivered into the basket below.

'From the foregoing' description it will be perceived that the operatoigby grasping the frame which immediately supports the Hatiron, can with ease manipulate the said iron over all parts of 'the tablefb, and thus in a rapid manner iron all suoli articles as are not adapted to pass between the. rollers, the `fiatiron meantime revolving at a-high rate of speed. It will also be seen that by my organization theironing-rollers d and d2 may .be externally hgated, and this while they are being rotated and in the act of ironing; and, further,

that the heatof such rollers may readily be regulated at the Will of the operator.

I do not confine myself to the heating of the fire-box H merely bycoal or wood placed upon the fire-plate i, as asufcient heat may be applied therein by an obvious arrangement of alcohol-burners or --gas-jets, in all of which cases the products 'of combustion will pass off through the` pipe lI.

Having thus desoribcd my invention, what l claim asnew, and desire to secure by Letters Patent Aof the United States, is-

1. YA smoothing-iron revolved horizontally by machinery and capable of 'adjustment at f pleasure upon any part of= the ironing-table and also upon' the top of -the lfire-box, substantially-as described. Y

2. Heating rollers externally while they are revolved for the purpose ofl ironing, substam tially as set forth.

3. So'applying a heated roller for-the pur.

pose of ironing that it shall prevent the too rapid forward movement of the garment at Ithe same time that it performs the act of ironing, substantially as described.

4. So applying heated rollers for the purpose of ironing that they shall revolve at varying rates of speed, for the purpose set forth, substantially as described.

WM. T. NICHOLS. 

